Soup: Meaning and Classification | Food Production (2024)

After reading this article you will learn about the meaning and classification of soup.

Meaning of Soup:

A soup is a flavourful and nutritious liquid food served at the beginning of a meal or a snack. Traditionally in France, soupé was a slice of bread on which the contents of a cooking pot (potage) was poured. Soup was designated as unstrained vegetable meat or fish soups garnished with bread, pasta, or rice.

However, it is the good stock which gives the body or strength to the soup. After an appetizer, soup is the first meal in real sense. It is important to take utmost care in its preparation, as it will create the first impression on the mind of the guest. Soups have many forms—some soups are thin and served as broths, while some are served as clear soups such as consommé.

Certain soups are thick and creamy and they could be just pureed or thickened with flour and milk, for example, cream soups. Certain shellfish soups are thickened with rice and pureed such as bisques and so on. It is very important to focus on the texture of a particular soup, as textures are peculiar to many soups.

A clear soup will be served crystal clear and the thick creamy soups should have a smooth velvety finish. Characteristic of one soup might differ from another, but few most important points are to be kept in mind while preparing soups. Each soup should reflect its own identity.

The flavour of the main ingredient used should remain prominent. Consommé should be clear and not cloudy, and broth should contain even cuts of meats and vegetables, so that it is pleasing to an eyes. The presentation of a soup is also very important as we know that this would create the first impression on guests.

Classification of Soups:

Soups are broadly classified into two types—thick soups and thin soups, which are further classified into various categories. This is done based on the texture of the soups. However, neither there are certain soups that are neither thin nor thick and so sometimes certain soups are also classified into a category called ‘international soups’.

These soups would essentially be the national soups of different countries. ‘Mulligatawny’ from India and ‘minestrone’ from Italy are two examples of national soups.

Figure 9.1 shows the classification of soups:

A. Clear Soups:

1. Broth:

A broth is a stock-based soup, which is not thickened. It is served unpassed and garnished with chopped herbs, vegetables, or meats. For example, minestrone, scotch broth, etc. Clear soups are thin like liquid; they never coat the back of the spoon. It is important to have full-bodied thin soups; otherwise they would taste like water.

The difference between a stock and a broth or bouillon as commonly referred to in French. While serving broths as soups, one should add reduced stock or glaze to give body to the soup.

2. Consommé:

A consommé is a clear soup which is clarified with egg whites. It is an old saying that if one can read the date on the dime thrown in four litres of consommé, then it is a good consommé. It is named after the garnish used in the soup.’

B. Thick Soups:

1. Puree:

Puree soups are thick soups made by cooking and then pureeing vegetables or ingredients used in the soup. For example, lentil soup, potato soup, etc. One can roast the vegetables to give a better flavour.

2. Velouté:

A velouté is a thick soup, which is thickened with a blond roux, passed and finished with a liaison. They may be vegetable or chicken stock based, for example, velouté of chicken. A roux is made by cooking equal amounts of flour and butter over a medium heat. The degree of cooking of the flour gives its name to the roux. A blonde roux is obtained by cooking roux until it turns blonde in colour. The texture of velouté is smooth and velvet like.

3. Cream:

A cream soup is a passed thick soup. It may be vegetable based or even meat based; but most commonly vegetables are used to prepare cream soups. In classical recipes it is thickened with béchamel and finished with cream. Examples include cream of tomato, cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, etc. Modern trends, however, avoid usage of béchamel sauce because of health reasons and to retain the delicate flavours of the vegetables.

4. Bisque:

It is a shellfish-based soup, which is passed and may be garnished with dices of the seafood used. Traditionally it is thickened with rice and finished with cream, for example, lobster bisque.

5. Chowder:

Chowders are not strained and traditionally they are seafood-based soups thickened with potatoes and finished with cream or milk, for example, clam chowder, seafood chowder, etc. Chowders are from the USA and the most classical version comes from Manhattan and hence the name Manhattan chowder.

C. Cold Soups:

As the name suggests, these soups are served cold but not chilled. Chilling would dull the flavours and the soup would taste bland. They do not form a separate classification, as they may again be thin or thick, passed or unpassed. Examples of cold soups include jellied consommé, gazpacho, vichyssoise, etc.

D. International Soups:

These again do not form a separate classification as they represent the region of origin. For example, green turtle soup from England, French onion soup from France, and mulligatawny from India.